Lily Potter and the Mastered Portrait
by innocentangel56
Summary: Lily's 1st yr at Hogwarts.With brians, beauty, & talent, things seem well,until the new Dark Wizard is none other than their headmaster.Lily is one of the few who realizes Proffessor Lestrange to who he really is; carrying the deadly Mastered Portrait. RR
1. Chapter 1: First Day of the First Year

Lily Potter had never been more nervous in her entire life.

True, she had grown up listening about all the wonders of Hogwarts, and, for the past four years, had heard both of her brothers babbling about their own experiences, but the nervousness remained. For Lily, all the excitement of the previous years of wanting to go to Hogwarts had vanished, and instead the one haunting fact remained; that she would have to stay in the ancient castle for an entire year.

"You okay, sweetheart?" The kind voice of Ginny Potter asked. Lily looked up at her mother, and gave her a faint smile.

"I guess so." Lily replied, while staring ahead at her two brothers who were arguing viciously, while pushing both of their trolleys. James was teasing Albus and telling him that he would sneak up at him at night, in the Gryffindor dormitory, and take a picture of him, and give it to their cousin, Stella, who had taken after her mother, Fleur, and was part veela.

"Lily, don't worry about it. You'll be a fine student." Harry, her father, smoothed her shiny red hair, and sighed. "You're worried about what house you'll go into, right?"

"That too." Lily answered Harry, who had continued to smooth her hair. He always told her how much her hair reminded him of his own mother's. But that wasn't what was bothering her. Hopefully she would go into Gryffindor right? But what if…?

Lily looked up just in time to see Ginny flashing a look to Harry. Harry frowned, obviously aware that he had just planted a new fear into Lily's mind.

"Don't worry, Lil!" James called from ahead. "Chances are, you _might _be in Gryffindor! With me, Al, Victorie, Rosie, Stella, and the rest of our cousins. But if you don't…than mom and dad will disinherit you! Not so bad, right? But don't worry, I'll make sure to give you food and shelter—"

"_James Potter!"_ Ginny interrupted James. James was laughing so hard, that he was holding onto his stomach. "You know very much how sensitive…" Ginny stopped talking, as she looked at Lily, who was biting her lip.

"Will you disinherit me?" Lily asked Harry quietly.

"No, Lil, never. Whatever house you're in, that house will be honored with _you._ Don't worry! Every house has good people that emerge from it."

"I'm not really worried about what _house _I'll go into, though." Lily whispered to her father. "I don't wanna leave you, and Mom, and our house…"

Lily silently wiped a tear.

"We'll write! Trust me, Lil, you're going to have an _amazing _time." Harry smoothed Lily's hair, and than smiled. "You'll write back, right?"

Lily nodded, and smiled faintly, once more.

"Come on, kids!" Ginny said, who was now helping Albus. James had 'accidentally' tipped his brother's trolley over, when Al had called him a "dimwitted dork".

"Harry, do you mind helping Albus pack his trolley? I'll take Lily and James into the platform."

"Okay." Harry walked over to Albus, and grabbed the trunk and stuffed it into the trolley. "Your brother sure loves annoying people…"

"I heard that!" James called, before disappearing into the pillar. Ginny sighed, rolling her eyes, glanced at Harry, and than looked at Lily.

"Come." Ginny began to pull the trolley and Lily ran after her. For the second time in her life, Lily was now at the train station that led to Hogwarts.

The red Hogwarts Express train was depositing steam which was dimly spread all around. Lily sighed, and glanced back to find her father and Al, with Al's trolley.

"Oooh!" James called. "There they are!" James pointed at Rosie, Hugo, along with their parents, Ron and Hermione.

"Hello, mate." Ron patted Harry on the back, and than smiled down at Lily. "Ready for your first year?"

"Not really." Lily said.

"You'll do fine, Lil!" Hermione came next to Lily, and patted her on the shoulder. "Trust me!"

"Yeah, you better trust your Aunt Hermy." Ron said. "Last time, me and Harry didn't, we ended up taking pathetic losers to the ball…" He grinned mischievously.

"_Ronald!"_ Hermione said, although she was laughing. "How many times do I have to tell you _not _to call me Hermy?"

Lily smiled and than turned towards Hugo, who would also be attending his first year with her. He was right behind her, with Rosie, who nodded towards Lily, and was off to talk with Albus. They would be attending their third year at Hogwarts, while James would be in his fifth year.

"Hey, Lil." Hugo said, and than smiled. "I'm kind of nervous, but excited." His brown eyes twinkled, and matched his dirty blond hair, which was the same color as his mothers. "You?"

"Nervous all the way." Lily giggled. Hugo always made her feel better. He was probably Lily's favorite cousin. They had grown up together, always doing things they weren't supposed to, in times least expected…

"Hurry, kids! Come on!" Hermione called out to the four of them, panic arising in her voice. She grabbed Lily and Hugo by their arms. "We have a minute left!"

"Hurry James! Make sure to write!! And _take care of the other two!!" _Ginny called to James, as he boarded the train first with his trolley. Harry and Ron walked over to help Lily, Albus, Rosie, and Hugo with theirs.

Ginny and Hermione joined the other two in saying their good-byes and farewells to the kids. Ginny sighed when the train began to run and turned to Harry.

"There. The last one of our children attending Hogwarts..."

"Hope James doesn't give Lil a hard time. For some reason, all James are very…difficult."

"Troublemakers, but loving at the same time." Hermione whispered, as the four of them watched the train until it was out of sight. "Don't worry Harry, they'll be fine.

Harry couldn't help but thinking that everyone had thought the same about himself, but his childhood had been anything but fine…

--

"Lily! Let's sit here." Hugo suggested, as he pointed at an empty compartment. Its seats looked comfortable, and there were vast spaces to place their trunks in.

Lily sighed, and than said, "Okay. After you, Hugo.

Hugo entered the compartment, placed his trunk and owl in the space above, and helped Lily's with hers. He plopped down on the seat and spread his legs out below him, slouched. Lily sat on the seat across from him, and than sighed once more.

"I'm…nervous." Lily said, taking a deep breath.

"Don't be. Come on, its school! We'll have fun, we'll meet new people, we'll learn magic, so we can jinx James and Matthew when they annoy us."

"Matthew isn't _that_ bad. I mean, Uncle George and Aunt Katie are really strict on him."

"Still. He's been annoying to me loads of times…he deserves some…slight jinx, don't you think?" Hugo smirked.

"James does." Lily said softly, and than giggled. "He loves teasing everyone, and sometimes its annoying, but other times its quite funny…"

Hugo laughed with her, and they stopped, when a boy of around eleven peeked his head into their compartment.

"Mind if I join you?" He questioned. He had brown hair, with bangs that swished around his navy colored eyes. He was wearing a black shirt, and black baggy pants underneath.

"Yes." Hugo muttered under his breath, while twining and un-twining his fingers.

"No, you can come." Lily answered, fighting back a laugh. "What's your name?"

"Gregory." Gregory answered, sitting down next to Hugo. "First year, you?"

"First." Hugo and Lily replied.

"I was nervous before, but I'm fine now." Gregory said.

_Oh god, no ones_ _nervous except me…_ Lily thought. Why was she so different and _weird?_ Her father called her special, and so did all of her aunts and uncles, and her older cousins…but Lily thought she was _anything_ but special. Oh, she was unique…a very unique _crybaby_, like James liked to call her.

"What are your names, then?" Gregory asked, as he leaned back on his seat. He crossed his legs, and stared at Lily, waiting for her to reply.

"Hugo Weasley." Hugo replied, when Lily didn't. Hugo pulled out a pack of gummy worms from his pocket. He popped one into his mouth, and offered Gregory one. Gregory took one, and they began to chew. Lily was glad that Hugo didn't offer her one; she hated the gummy worms.

"You?" Gregory looked at Lily. He gulped down his gummy worm, and smiled at Hugo, who offered him another.

"Lily Potter."

"_Potter?_" Gregory leaned forward, leaving his reclining position, and quickly gulped his worm.

"Umm, yeah." Lily answered, looking at Gregory. What was so amazing about her last name, Potter? Lily felt her face go slightly red, she _hated _attention…

"I heard it someplace, that's all." Gregory looked down, his eyebrows knitted together, as if he were trying to remember where he had heard the name. "Potter….Potter…_Potter…_"

"Yeah, she's a Potter." Hugo said, annoyed. "We know." He chomped on yet another gummy worm.  
"I know you know." Gregory rolled his navy eyes. "Thing is, I've heard my older sister talk about some Potter and a Dark Lord or something. I think you're descended from some famous celebrity."

"Hmm." Lily shrugged. "Maybe. Although I doubt it. My dad would've told me."

"You never know." Gregory grinned. "You just might. Well then, if _you_ become famous, make sure to include me in your interviews."

Lily laughed. "Kay, whatever you say, Gregory."

Hugo slouched farther into his seat, and sighed, after finishing his pack of gummy worms. He gazed at Gregory and than asked him, "So, half-blood, pureblood, or what?"

Gregory's expression hardened. "Umm, my parents were Muggles."

"Oh." Hugo said. "I'm a half-blood." He sat up in his seat, and than continued to stare at Gregory. "My cousin, Lil, is also a half-blood, or you could say a three-quat--"

"You're _cousins?_" Gregory asked.

Lily nodded. "No one believes it. We don't look alike, right?"

"No, you don't." Gregory smirked.

Just then, a beautiful girl, with long white-blond hair sweeped into the room. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail, and she had already worn her school robes. Her sea green eyes resembled her Mother's (Aunt Fleur) and her tall body towered over the three of them.

"Hello," Stella said, flipping her hair. "I was asked by Dad to check on both of you." She rolled her eyes. "Oh well. It's your first year isn't it? The three of you?"

Stella plopped down on the seat next to Lily. She carried a beautiful scent, along with the gorgeous looks she owned. Lily glanced at Hugo and Gregory, who were both staring at her.

"Yeah, Telly, you didn't know that?" Lily asked her cousin, trying to distract herself from the boys attitudes.

"I knew about Lil and Hugo, not _you._" Stella snapped at Gregory.

Lily rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. Stella was obviously as proud as her twin, Megan. Both resembled their Mother; part veelas. It was quite annoying when they acted as if they were better than everyone else.

"I'm Gregory." Gregory ignored her previous comment. "What year are you in?"

"_Hopeless_." She got up furiously, and stormed out of the room, leaving a very shocked Gregory.

"Did I...?" Gregory started, shocked and confused.

"Don't worry, she's like that." Hugo rolled his eyes.

"She thinks that if any guy starts a conversation with her, it's for her looks." Lily explained. What a stupid attitude, she had always wondered who she thought she was.

"But I wasn't! I'm seri--"

"I know, I know." Lily said. "I hate her." She added.

"Are you _sure_ you won't talking to her for her looks?" Hugo smirked at Gregory.

Gregory smirked back.

The two of them began to laugh. Lily sat, watching them, irritated. _Guys._ she thought to herself. _So retarded..._

"So what year _is_ she in then?" Gregory asked after they were done.

"Sixth." Hugo giggled.

Just then, Rosie entered the compartment with Albus. "Guys, hurry, put your robes on! We're almost at the school!!" Her tinted cheeks went beautifully with her gray eyes, and her robe was already clasped onto her body. "Oh, who are you?" Rosie asked Gregory, as her gaze was fixed on his face.

"Gregory." Gregory said, friendly. "You?"

"I'm Hugo's sister, Rosie." Rosie smiled, sticking out her hand. "This is Lily's brother, Albus."  
"Hey." Albus nodded. "Third year."

"First." Gregory nodded back. "Well, we better get our robes on." He said, turning to Lily and Hugo. Lily was still sitting, while the rest of them were standing. Lily hadn't even noticed them getting up.

Rosie and Albus left. Hugo grabbed his trunk and took out his robe. Lily stood up, and followed with hers, quickly tying hers around herself. Gregory put his on as well, and the three of them got ready to leave the compartment, and out of the train.

When the train finally stopped, Lily stuggled to pull her trunk down. While looking at Hugo, she rolled her trunk behind her. _Hugo, look back. I need reassuarance..._Lily sighed, trying to get her cousin's attention. In the end, when Hugo did not return her glance, she kicked him on his foot, since he was walking in front of her.

"Ow wha--" Hugo turned around, but silenced himself immedietly. He saw Lily staring at him with a pained expression; her hazel eyes dull, her full lips formed into a frown. Her red hair was hanging beautifully on both sides of her face, and stood out remarkably against her white skin.

No words were needed--Hugo knew Lily too well. He sighed, and than gave a big, friendly smile. "Don't worry, Lil." He whispered.so she alone could hear her "You'll be in the same house as me."

It was seriously amazing at how much Hugo knew Lily. Just an hour ago, the sorting had not been on Lily's mind. But now it was.

They had grown up as kids together, since they were cousins, and their parents had 'gone to school together'. Although Lily did not know much about her parents' past, she was glad two of them had falled in love, and had gotten married (Ron and Hermione) and provided her with a brilliant cousin, Hugo. And the thought of being seperated from him by the division of houses was quite scary and unbearable...

"Lil! Come on!" Hugo pulled her arm, while struggling to pull his own trunk. Lily came back to her senses, and followed Hugo out of the train, and onto the vast property of Hogwarts.

"First years, follow me." said the stern voice of a woman, around the age thirty-five, to the huge group of eleven-year-olds. The children, whom Lily, Hugo, and Gregory were among, obeyed her, and, in a single file line, followed her. The woman stopped in front of two grand wooden doors, and faced them all. Lily noticed that she was wearing chocolate colored robes, with a matching bow on her perfect and tidy bun.

"My name is Professor Jaquel." she said firmly, as if questioning anyone to question her authority. "I am the Hufflepuff's head, but have been given the job to take you to the Grand Hall, to tell you the procedure of the sorting." Her beady black eyes glanced around the crowd. "You will remain in the single file line you are in now. One by one, the sorting hat will be placed on your head, and you will wait until it calls out the House for which you are to remain in for the rest of your stay at Hogwarts. You are then to proceed to your House's table. Follow me."

With a swish of her cloak, she tapped her wand on the wooden doors, and they opened, as if a king were entering the Hall. Lily looked around and saw that the Hall was filled with older kids; kids in their second, third, fourth, and all the way up until seventh. They were all staring at the first years, and Lily felt herself go red. _Why are they staring at me?! _she thought. Oh, why did she hate attention so much?

Professor Jaquel grabbed a black hat from the table in front of her, and stared up at the chubby man who was sitting behind it. Professor Jaquel nodded at him, and he stood up.  
"My name is Professor Thomas." He said. His dark skin was a beautiful color, and went well with his dark eyes. He was around her father's age, but Lily noticed that several of the older girls (sixth year), were looking up at him quite dreamingly. "I am the headmaster of this year, and I welcome the newcomers this year. Please give a round of applause for the first years!"

Clapping filled Lily's ears, and she sighed. It would almost be over, she would _hopefully_ be sitting in the Gryffindor table, with James, and Hugo, and Gregory, and Rosie...

Lily spotted James snickering at some joke Matthew had made. Lily rolled her eyes, and giggled softly to herself. She _really_ couldn't wait until this was over...

"Gina Reder." called out Professor Jaquel. The girl named Gina had blond ringlets, and blue, big eyes. She looked out into the hall, delighted, and sat on the chair. When the hat was placed on her head, it called out "_Hufflepuff!!"_

_  
_Gina skipped off happily to the Hufflepuff table. The students were screaming and cheering their new member.

"Casie Yereg." The Professor Jaquel once again announced a name loudly into the Hall. There was silence for a few seconds, and when Casie finally sat on the chair, the hat yelled, "_GRYFFINDOR"_

_  
"_Sabereth Malfoy." The next student was a boy, with light brown hair, and gray eyes. His stride showed that he was full of pride, and when he sat on the chair, the hat screamed "Slytherin" before it even touched its head.

Cheers from Slytherin were heard. Lily glanced at the amount of student that were to proceed...she sighed with nervousness. Hugo was behind her, and therefore had a longer wait..._Only four more..._she thought.

"Janet Parkinson." said the Professor. A girl named Janet, with blond hair which was divided in two ponytails, was sorted into Slytherin. The next girl, Sophie Kingsley, was put to Gryffindor. A boy named Dave was joined into Ravenclaw.

"Lily...why, Lily Potter!" Professor Jaquel stared at her, her eyes suddenly shining, and her skin glowing. several teachers turned towards her, and smiled, like she was some disabled girl. Lily sighed, trying her best not to turn red, and walked over to the chair, and sat down.

The sorting hat took the longest time to sort her. It whispered thoughts that, Lily knew, were only meant for her to hear. "_Hmm, very difficult, like your father. You would do very well in Ravenclaw, with your brains. But then again, Hufflepuff; you're beyond caring. Actaully, Gryffindor; you're brave and loyal." _Lily felt a pang of relief that was washed instantly with panic. "_Wait, Slytherin! That's good, _S_LY—" _

"No, no, no!!" Lily felt tears in her eyes, and bit her lip. _Please, please, don't sort me in Slytherin! _She thought_._

_  
Your father had the same wish..._

_  
He did? _It was a silent conversation with her and an old hat...

_He never told you?_

_  
No. _Lily felt regretful. _Why _hadn't her father told her that?

_You would do well in Gryffindor. That my second choice. Good?_

_  
_Lily smiled, and said, "Yes.", just as Professor Jaquel was about to question her.

"_Gryffindor!!"_

Lily beamed, as she walked down to the table. But before she took off the hat, she whispered into it, and said, "Thank you." She than went off to join the rest of her fellow House-mates, and for the first time in her entire life, didn't mind the attention she was receiving.


	2. Chapter 2: Professor Thomas

Lily Potter climbed up the stairs that led to the girl's dormitory

Lily Potter climbed up the stairs that led to the girl's dormitory. As she ascended towards the room, she smiled to herself slightly. Hogwarts seriously wasn't _so_ bad, if she had already made a new friend (Gregory), had been put into the house she had wanted to go, and yet, to make things even better, had her cousin by her side (not at the moment of course). The best part was that Hugo _and_ Gregory were in her house. And even though Gregory was a bit annoying, she still felt that they would be great friends...

As Lily entered the dormitory, she gazed up above her, her mouth wide. There was a wide, crème colored ceiling, with rose colored walls all around her. The room was spacious; with at least 10 beds, widely spaced apart, each with their own nightstand on the side. On top of each nightstand, was a crème colored lamp, and a rose colored pen holder. The carpet was rosy, and soft against Lily's favorite slippers. It was beautiful, and beyond anything Lily had imagined for a dormitory.

Lily made her way to an empty bed by the window. Perfect. She placed her trunk next to the bed, and sat on top of the mattress. This was the ideal bed for her. She spread her hand across the soft blanket that was laid on top of the bed, feeling its warmth. With the window to her left on every morning, she was free to gaze at the sun rising at dawn...something Lily loved to look at sunrise. Her stay at Hogwarts seemed promising already. And school had not even begun yet…

She continued to stare out the window, examining the night sky with silver studs scattered across its width. "Hey. You're Lily Potter right?" said a girl's voice behind her. Lily turned around, startled, and found herself looking into a girl's face. Her features were delicate, and she was pretty in a simple yet elegant way; brown ringlets, sea green eyes, and tanned skin. "I'm Michelle Degen."

"Yeah, I'm Lily...how'd you know?" Lily inquired, looking into Michelle's eyes.  
Michelle giggled, while flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "Everyone knows you, Lily! Your dad is like a legend here."

"Wow, funny how he never told me this stuff..." Lily mumbled, thinking about how her dad had been put into Gryffindor only because he had requested the Sorting Hat to do so. He should have _told_ her that, it would have made her feel so much better! Lily had been feeling horrible that very morning, and her father had not known her well enough to tell her something that would have made her feel less stressed out...and now she had found out he was a _legend_ here too? How many things _were_ there about her father that she was not aware of?

"Well, anyways, I'm in my first year. You too, right? I remember you from the sorting." Michelle said, while tucking a brown curl behind her ear, which had on big, silver hoops.

"Yup." Lily nodded, kneeling down, opening her trunk. Her robes were placed neatly on the top. Lily took them, opened the top drawer of her nightstand, and placed them in there.

"Well anyways, you have a _huge _family here are Hogwarts." Michelle said, as if Lily didn't already know. "Weasleys, Weasleys, and Weasleys!! And of course, Potters!" Michelle continued, clapping her hands twice. "Your brother, James, oh my _gosh_, everyone's crazy about him. My sister told me all about him! Katlyn, that's her name; she's in his year."

"Yeah, well he's really, _really_ annoying." Lily said, rolling her hazel eyes, while grabbing her books, and placing them carefully and neatly in the second drawer. Lily knew she was a neat-freak; that's what James always called her. But then again, that was just how she was. She couldn't _stand _anything messy or out of its place. "Trust me; he's nothing to be crazy about."

"Well, my sister and a bunch of her friends have a thing for him." Michelle winked. "And I can't wait to see him! I heard he's...you know..." Michelle said, and then let out a laugh.

Lily found herself cracking up along with Michelle. "Oh my god, _no he's not cute." _Lily breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, fine, maybe her brother was handsome, but that still didn't mean that she could imagine his fifteen-year-old self to be chased after by shrieking girls.

"Well, I'll have to find out, won't I?" Michelle smirked, while grabbing her hand bag, which she had rested on the carpet below them.

"If you want to." Lily giggled, closing her drawer. She would pack the rest of her clothes tomorrow. She had had a long day, and was extremely tired…

"I do!" Michelle giggled, while staring ahead at the bed across from Lily's. "Hmm, you know, I think I'll pick that bed. The other ones are taken. Come on, we should go to the common room...everyone's there!"

"That's true. Lets go." Lily got off the floor, as Michelle dragged her handbag on the bed across Lily's to claim her bed. Lily stared at her, getting an even better feeling about Hogwarts.

"Herbology first!" Lily skipped happily in front of Gregory and Hugo in the hallway the next day. The three of them had just left the Gryffindor common room, to go off to Herbology, their first class of the day. Lily had felt more and more elated on her second day here at Hogwarts. Things seemed a lot better than she had thought they would before she had arrived. Hugo was staring at Lily like he couldn't believe his cousin was acting like this in public.

"Lily, what's _wrong_ with you?" Hugo questioned, speeding up to catch up with her slight skips which had now reduced to a stroll. "You're so..."

"Happy?" Lily asked, flashing off a smile that enlightened her features. "Is that wrong, Hugo?"

"No, no, no!" Hugo shook his head, and then rolled his eyes. "Ahh, never mind."  
"I thought you were shy, Lil." Gregory broke into the conversation. "When I met you yesterday, you hardly talked. And now you're _skipping_."

Lily rolled her eyes, and than sighed. "I'm really sorry if my skipping offended the both of yo--"

"Hey, Lily" called out a voice from behind them. Lily turned around, her hair smacking into Gregory's face. Lily giggled, said, "Oops, I'm sorry!" and than focused on the figure behind her. It was Michelle.

"Hey!" Lily smiled back at Michelle. "Hugo, Gregory; this is Michelle. Michelle, this is my cousin, Hugo." Lily held up Hugo's hand, and then waved her hand in front of Gregory as if to present him. "And this is my friend, Gregory."

"Pleased to meet you." Michelle put her hand out in front of her, and Gregory shook it. Hugo shook it next, and the four of them began to walk slowly ahead in contrast to the huge crowds of wizards and witches zooming quickly to their next classes.

"We really should get to class though." Lily bit her bottom lip. "Come on, we need to walk faster!" Lily began to walk a little faster.

"Lily, _chill_." Hugo rolled his eyes. "We're first years, and this is our first day! We'll be excused!"

"Hugo, everyone cannot be _excused_—"Lily began.

The halls were starting to empty up, and Lily began to panic. "Guys, we need to find our classroom! Herbology...Herbology..._where _is it...?"

"Lily, please." Michelle laughed, and than put her hand on her shoulder. "Like your cuzzie said, relax! It's right here..." Michelle walked in front of Lily, her shoes clacking on the marble floor beneath them. "Come!"

The three of them followed Michelle into a dim hallway that was unfamiliar to Lily, and down another, bright one. And there it was; Herbology.

"Told you." Hugo rolled his eyes, as if he had been the one to lead them here. "You panic too much Lil."

"Its kind of good though..." Gregory smirked. "Or we would have been in the hallway right now."

"Thanks Michelle, and _obviously _Gregory." Lily grinned, glad that at least one boy in the entire universe had recognized the importance of getting to places on time. And even though they certainly weren't _on time..._they weren't exactly late either.

"Well, let's go!" Michelle pulled on Lily's hand. "In we go to our first class!!"

Lily took a deep breath, and than stepped into the classroom. Hugo and Gregory followed her behind.

The classroom was filled with all the first years from all four houses. The room was bigger than it looked from the outside; it had green plants all around the glass walls; some were even hanging from the ceiling. There were three or four pairs of pink flowers that waved and changed color. There was a corner of the wall that held plants that roared and talked and made faces. Lily smiled slightly. It was a whole new world out here.

A group of Slytherin's hung around the left corner in the front of the room. Lily stared at them, as they snickered and smirked as the four of them passed by. One of them, whom Lily recognized to be the boy named Sabereth Malfoy, said, "Oho, let the brave Gryffindors pass by. Pssh. I haven't even talked to you four," He snickered. "But I know I hate you already."

"If you know that much, you'll know we hate you too." Lily blurted out before she could even think about what she was saying. All she knew was that this boy was a Slytherin, and he was trying to get them annoyed. His blond wavy hair and blue eyes twinkled mischievously as he raised his eyebrows and laughed.

"Well, well, well. Miss Potter seems to have nerved herself up. Awwwwww, how many hours did it take to finally regain some self confidence?"

"A lot less than it took for _you_." Michelle told him. Her face was angry, and her nose flared. "Who do you think you _are?_ We didn't do anything to you, except pass by your dumb butts." Michelle then grabbed Hugo's wrist and Lily's and gestured Gregory to follow them with her head. "Come on."

"Yeah, and keep those _butts_." Hugo snarled at Sabereth and his friends. "Away from our businesses. Remember, we're the brave, which makes you--" he shoved a finger into his chest. "A coward."

The four of them walked away before they could say anything. Lily thought she heard Sabereth yell something back, but she wasn't sure. At that moment, the man named Professor Longbottom entered the room. "Hello class!!" He said cheerfully, looking around the classroom. His black hair was sleekly and shiny, and his dark eyes seemed tired, but still elated. "I am your Herbology teacher. Today we will begin by simply introducing ourselves, and I will introduce to you all the objectives I have planned for this year!" He flashed off a smile, and then scanned the room for a place to begin the introducing. His eyes fell on Lily. "Ahhh, how about you?"

Lily felt the sensation that she always felt when she was under attention. Lily looked down, and then looked back up at Professor Longbottom. "Umm, what should I say? My name and...?"

"Your name, father's name, mother's name, and how you...feel about Hogwarts!" Professor Longbottom clapped his hands together as if he were very excited to hear about Lily's life.

"My name is Lily Potter." There were gasps in the room. Lily tried to ignore them. "My dad's name is Harry Potter, and my mom's name is Ginny Potter. I'm...excited about Hogwarts."

"Ahhh, No wonder you seemed so familiar!" Professor Longbottom chuckled. "You have your mother's blazing red hair, and your eyes are like her's as well. Quite a beauty, you are."

Lily blushed and smiled slightly. Yes, she had known her father had gone to school with Professor Longbottom; how could she have forgotten? Her moment of happiness, however, was washed away, when, across the table, Sabereth snorted. "_Beauty?_ Yeah, right. There's no such thing as a Gryffindor beauty!" There was laughter from the Slytherin's.

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly, and just as she was going to say something, was shocked when she saw Gregory had moved across the room, and had smacked Sabereth on the head with his Herbology book. "The same goes to Slytherin." He told him, when silence followed. He then walked back to his position.

There were cheers from the Gryffindor crowd. Professor Longbottom frowned, and then said, "I believe in justice, so I will not punish any one of you, since both have been even. However," he continued sternly "If I see this again, it will be reported to Professor Thomas."

"Awesome move." Lily giggle-whispered to Gregory, beaming.

Gregory beamed back at her.

--

It was dinner time. Lily and Michelle had finished early, and were walking back to the dormitory. Michelle was talking non-stop about how _cute_ she thought James was, and how lucky Lily was to have him as a brother.

"I mean, you could blackmail all your girl enemies!" Michelle said, as they walked on and on. "And he's really tall, and seems protective..."

"James would _definitely_ not be described as protective. Trust me, Michelle!" Lily shook her head.

"Well, I don't think so, Lil. You're lucky, that's all I'm saying." Michelle flipped her hair behind her shoulder, giving out a sigh. Her earrings had been altered by some spell; Michelle had told her at dinner, but Lily was only half-listening to it. she had been too busy watching Teddy and Victorie…how _would _she have felt if they got married?

"You've been saying _a lot_ more than that..." Lily giggled.

"Hey!" Michelle smirked back. "I _do _talk a lot, don't I?"

"Beyond a lot." Lily snorted, as they reached the Fat Lady portrait. "Here we are; what's the password again?"

"How would I know?" The Fat Lady snorted at Lily, rolling her eyes. "_You_ tell me."

"It's gari--" Michelle stared but stopped when they both heard a loud scream from a distant hallway. It sounded like a man's. Michelle's eyes widened, as she stared at Lily. "Wha-what was that?" she whispered at Lily urgently. Lily's eyes widened as well, fear etched on every cell in her skin.

"I have no idea." Lily said, as she took a step back, her heart pacing. There was something wrong--she could sense it. "But I'm going to find out!"

Lily began to dart down the hallway. she did not know why she had the sudden urge to find out who that man was…but she knew she had to find out. Just when she reached the end, she stopped, to listen for any further hint of where the victim was...and why he was screaming a shout of help when there was dinner in the Great Hall...

"_Noo..._" she heard someone moan to the hallway at her right. It was loud and clear. The voice sounded hoarse, and urgent. Lily peeked down the hallway, and her eyes grew wide. _No way..._ she thought. There, at the end of the dark, narrow hallway, were two figures. They were both men; Lily could see that easily. One of the men was on the floor, hunched, with his wand about two feet away from his hand which was trying to stretch towards it.

"No?" The man who was towering the one on the floor chuckled, and than pointed his wand at the man's chest. "Now's your time to say good-bye to this world, Dean Thomas!" He raised his foot, and put it on the man's chest.

Michelle was now at Lily's side, pulling on her sleeve. "Come!" she mouthed, obviously scared. Lily's eyes were wide, as she continued to watch the man dig his wand into the man's throat. He chuckled, and then shouted some curse…

"I'm going to torture you for some time, Dean. You interfere with _me,_ I interfere with you. Too much you could say." He let out a roar of laughter. There was a flash of red, and the man on the floor crumpled up within his body.

"Lily!" Michelle hissed louder. Lily put her hand on Michelle's mouth, praying to God that he hadn't heard them. Lily turned around; looking back at the hallway she was crouched so low in, her eyes wide. Wasn't there _anyone_ who could help this man? But there was no one there; everyone was at dinner. Lily looked back towards them, still peeking, her heart racing in her veins. Then, she had an idea. The only thing left to do, although it might harm her, if not worked out correctly. This man...he needed her help. What did the other man say his name was? _Dean_ Thomas...Dean _Thoma_s_...where _had she heard the name?!

And then it hit her.

Professor Thomas--her _headma_ster_._

_  
"Michelle!_" she hissed, and pulled Michelle down with her. "Go get some help, this man is going to kill him...we have some time left, _go get __someone_."

Michelle got up slowly. "Come with me." she whispered slowly and silently, her eyes filled with fear.

Lily shook her head, her hands shaking. She then said slowly and quietly, "Being James's sister did some good. I know how to distract him."

Michelle's eyes widened, and Lily gave her a push. But just as she did, she heard the other man say, "Good-bye, headmaster."

Michelle came back, grabbing Lily to get up, and Lily allowed her. They began to run forward; Lily could not help it. She was scared. There was no help for Dean Thomas: he was going to die. And two first years really weren't going to help…

Lily tried her best to avoid the sounds that were now coming and entering her ears so clearly; laughter, preceding the words "_Avada Kedavra"_, not to mention seeing a green light, even when she wasn't staring at the hallway with the two men, and had her back to it, she still saw it reflected on the walls to her right and left. Lily wondered what the curse did...did it kill or torture?  
Then there was a_ snap_, and Lily pulled away from Michelle, taking her wand out, turning back towards the hallway. Lily ignored Michelle's cry, and continued to walk forward. All she had to do, was repeat the curse "_Avada Kedavra"..._right? She peeked out of the corner; just in time to see the man who had been towering Professor Thomas had just dissolved into the wall behind him.  
Lily stared at the dead body of Professor Thomas on the floor. But that wasn't the worst part. It wasn't even that the man who had dissolved into the wall had seen her staring. For just that one second, Lily studied his features, trying to capture every detail.

But no. The worst part was that Lily and Michelle were alone in the dark with their dead headmaster. They were the only ones who had witnessed this tragic, sorrow, and of course--regretful moment. And that would and could never be changed.

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you liked the chap! Please R&R, I'm new, and I want to hear your opinions on this story so far! Thanks! **


	3. Chapter 3: Discovering Michelle's Tale

"Emergency!! All heads of the office must gather their students to go to the Grand Hall, _immediately_." yelled Professor Petryl, whom Lily had recently discovered to be her Transfiguration teacher and her head of house. Professor Petryl walked ahead of the rest of the crowd of students that were beginning to come from dinner to the third floor hallway, still chattering, to see what had happened. Professor Petryl looked at Michelle and Lily. "_You_ two, please," she added politely. "Follow me."

Lily and Michelle stood up slowly, both careful not to touch the dead body of their headmaster as they got up. The crowds of children from all houses, of all years, were beginning to realize the loss of their headmaster. And even though Lily had hardly known him (infact had never encountered him alone), she had felt some type of connection with him. Professor Thomas was her first headmaster of Hogwarts, and it would have been nice to at least have talked to him _once…_

Lily wasn't only sad though. And as she walked on behind Professor Petryl, and besides Michelle, Lily pondered with fear at the way the man had stared at her face. Had he known who she was? A lot of people had known her, because of her _father…_ but it was dark in the hallway…right? Maybe he remembered her; maybe he didn't. Either way, she remembered _him._ That was another thing Lily admired about herself; she had an outstanding memory. Maybe her memory just might help to catch a criminal…

"In, please." Professor Petryl had stopped in front of what Lily assumed to be her office. Lily looked up at the woman, realizing the 'please' she said was very forced, almost as if she were trying to be nicer as to not hurt their feelings. She was young; but not too young. Her eyes were navy, and her hair was auburn. Her stern face was focused on staring at Lily and Michelle in pure suspicion.

"As you two are the only witnesses of what happened," Professor Petryl said, taking a seat, waving her hand in front of her, gesturing that they sit down as well. "I would like to request that you encounter the details for me."

Lily sighed, looking at Michelle from the corner of her eye. Michelle bit her bottom lip, looking straight ahead at Professor Petryl. "Umm…well…" she began.

"We finished dinner early, and went upstairs before everyone else." Lily took a deep breath. "We came upstairs, and were about to enter the Gryffindor common room, when we heard a scream. We both went to the end of the hallway, and we heard Professor Thomas moan or something, and there was this other man," Lily continued. "He was cursing him, and then…" Lily gulped.

"He killed him." Michelle whispered, tears dripping down on her cheek. "Just like that."

Lily felt her eyes get watery. Before she knew it, rivulets were streaming down her cheeks; one after the other. "It was just so…dreadful." she added, to break the awkward silence around them.

Lily looked up, and saw that Professor Petryl was also tearing. Lily opened her mouth to tell her that she saw the mysterious man see her, but decided better. If she told her, wouldn't she yell at her for not being careful?

Lily sighed. Michelle, next to her, began to get up, and said harshly and firmly, "That's all that happened, Professor."

"You both are…" Professor Petryl sniffed, waving her wand in front of her, and, out of nowhere, a tissue popped out in midair, plopping down on her desk. She picked it up, and wiped her nose with it. "Excused." she finished her sentence, after blowing into it once more.

Lily got up slowly, pleased of the dismissal. Her eyes found Michelle's, who was staring at her with fearful eyes. Lily realized Michelle wanted to talk to Lily alone…and now.

--

"I cannot believe it," Michelle squeaked to Gregory, Hugo, and Lily, in the common room. "It just…_how_ could he have died?"

"To me, it sounds like it was a curse, Michelle…" Gregory said.

"Gregory, it's _not_ funny." Lily snapped at Gregory. "Our headmaster just _died_ and you'r—"

"I'm being serious, Lily!" Gregory yelled back at her. "God, all I was saying was to _me_ it sounded like a curse."

Lily looked at Gregory in pure fury. But then the fury drained out of her, and her expression softened. "I'm sorry." she mumbled, staring down at her hands.

"It's kay." Gregory muttered. "Just don't accuse people so fast."

"Guys, please." Hugo said, looking at Michelle, who was shaking her head slowly. "We're thinking about who the hell that other man could have been…a little help would be appreciated."

Lily and Gregory turned back towards Hugo and Michelle. Lily sighed, and then said, "Look, we're the last ones up, and besides we're first years. This is going to be a job for older people…"

"Lily, I've never heard you say that before." Hugo snickered slightly. "You always try to do everything yourself."

"Well…we can't solve a _murder_…"

"True." Hugo whispered, looking down.

"I just wish he could have been saved." Michelle whispered, wiping a tear with her right hand. "It's just…" she took a deep breath. "Never mind…" Michelle let it out, staring at the floor.

"No, tell us, Michelle." Lily urged her friend. She put her hand on top of hers, and tightened her grip.

"It's nothing." Michelle whispered, before beginning to cry.

"Please?" Gregory pleaded, leaning forward on his chair, trying to give comfort and at the same time, find out what was bothering her.

"Is it just that he died?" Hugo asked. "Or something else?"

. Michelle glared at Hugo, and then sighed.

"The thing is…" she began. "He…my mom…my parents were divorced when my mom was still pregnant with me." Tears splattered down on her cheek. "And…my dad disappeared, leaving my family alone. My mom and I were…were pretty poor in the beginning, but than my mom married this other man."

"Go on." Lily whispered, when Michelle paused.

"And…my dad never visited us again." Michelle tried to stop a sob, but failed. "I was two when my mom remarried, and I always thought that my stepdad was my _real_ dad. He died when I was four. I always dreamed of having a father…someone I could look up to. And I believed my stepdad _was_ my dad, until my 11th birthday." Michelle looked into Lily's eyes, and then Hugo's. She looked into Gregory's last.

Lily continued to stare at her friend, wondering what happened on her eleventh birthday. The common room was silent, the candles dim. There was a cushion on the floor, along with a paper or two on the center table. All three of Michelle's friends waited in silence for her to continue.

"When my mom told me that my real dad was…was…" Michelle began to sob hysterically into Lily's shoulder. "Dean…Th-Thomas."

Lily looked up at Hugo and Gregory, while rubbing Michelle's shoulder. Lily's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open in shock. "I'm…I'm so sorry." she whispered into Michelle's ear, tears sliding down her cheek as well.

"I only talked to him two times in my entire life." Michelle sobbed. "The first time was on my eleventh birthday…which was last May. He came and gave me the letter to Hogwarts himself. He also bought me this." Michelle tapped the necklace that was on her neck. "It's real diamond."

There was silence for a moment, and then Michelle continued. "And the second time was on our first day. He called me into my office…and told me…if I ever needed him…"

"Hush." Lily said softly to her friend, as Michelle hugged Lily tightly. "It's okay…"

"No its _not_." Michelle sobbed. "I've always wanted a father, and I was so close to having one."

There was silence as the rest of them cried silently along with their friend.

--

It was the next day. Lily woke up as the sunshine hit her, gently urging her to wake up to a whole new day. When she opened her eyes, Lily wondered why she felt so sullen. And then it hit her. Last night. Professor Thomas's death…Michelle's story…Gregory, Hugo, and herself crying with Michelle…

It was funny to think of the time when Lily thought her stay at Hogwarts would be close to perfect. But of course, now that she was here, thinking about the previous days' events…Lily realized that perfection just didn't collide with her life. It was always obvious; the way James always teased her, how she hardly had any friends before Hogwarts, how her mother and father always seemed to favor her brothers over her, how she was the youngest in the family (younger than Hugo by two months and three days). It just wasn't fair. And now, the only girl she had ever felt close to besides her other cousins had to face a drastic event. It was like she was some type of bad luck charm…

"Lil?" Michelle's voice came from across the room. Lily turned towards her friend, who was sitting on top of her unmade bed with purple and red pajamas. Her brown hair was rumpled, and didn't look as perfect as it did yesterday. "You up?"

Lily grimaced slightly at her friend. Michelle obviously didn't care of waking up the other girls around them. The only other people who Lily had met so far in the girls' dormitory, was Sophie, who's bed was next to Lily's (down the column) Kendra's came next, and was proceeded by Olivia. They were all nice, except Olivia, who was obviously a rich girl who let her possessions take the better of her personality.

"Yeah." Lily got up, whispering, over to Michelle's bed. "Lets get dressed. I'll meet you in ten."

"Kay." Michelle nodded, her eyes still swollen from the day before. "I'll see you."

Just then, Olivia woke up, sighing. Olivia sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and then snarled down at Lily and Michelle. "Ecch." she said, rolling her eyes. "Nice _pajamas." _

"Excuse me?" Lily asked Olivia, realizing she was utterly wrong to think of her as even _close _to nice.

"Excuse yourself." Olivia sneered down at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The girl named Kendra had awoken due to the noise. "Lily and Michelle didn't _do _anything to you, why are you acting like they did?"

Lily looked at Kendra with affection. It was nice to know that not everyone she had thought was nice had proven her wrong.

"Losers." Olivia rolled her eyes, flipped her blond hair over her shoulder, and then walked out of the room.

"Look who's talking." Kendra snorted, and then looking at Lily and Michelle, who were looking back at her.

"Thanks." Michelle smiled at Kendra.

"Yeah, seriously," Lily beamed. "We owe you."

"Oh please." Kendra giggled, and then got up. "Kay, I should get dressed for school. I'll see you in class!"

When Kendra had left the room, Lily went over to her trunk, lifting open the lid. _Hmm_. she thought. What would be ideal for her third day at Hogwarts? Well, obviously, she would have to wear the school robes on top, but what should she wear when schooling hours were over?

Lily finally decided on a gray sweater, and a pair of black pants. After slipping them on in the bathroom, she grabbed her school robe, pulled it over herself, and began to tie the knot under her neck. Lily then grabbed her 'Potter' bag, stuffed the books that were going to be needed for the day in it, and then slipped on her shoes. she turned around to look for Michelle, but it was obvious that she was already gone—the missing school bag the evidence.

Lily quietly slipped out of the dormitory, and went into the common room. Not many Gryffindors were up, although James was one of the few who were.

"Hey, Lily. You still putting your nose into books?" He patted her hair; a little too roughly, and then walked away to his friends. Lily gaped at him. She had spent a full five minutes on her hair, simply gelling the slight waves so they would look elegant. It was true—her hair was nice and controlled, but when gelled looked even better. She felt the top, and patted it down. She then turned around and found Michelle and Hugo sitting, staring at her. Gregory was missing; probably sleeping.

"Hey." Lily greeted her cousin and Michelle again. "How's it going?"

"Not so good." Hugo said. "They said they're not going to have a funeral because the body was taken to the Ministry for some explanation. They have this new magical…invention _thing_…it might detect who did it."

Michelle glanced at Lily. Lily said hopefully, "That's kind of good…there's still hope, right?"

Michelle shrugged and then sighed. "I'm such a drama queen…I know, and I'm sorr—"

"No, Michelle, you're not!" Lily told Michelle softly. "We understand."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. What are friends for?" Hugo inquired.

"Exactly." Lily said.

There was a moment of silence. Lily broke it by stating, "Well, we'd better get to class."

"Lily, half of Gryffindor isn't even _up_ yet—"Hugo replied, irritated.

Lily smirked. She just couldn't help but worry.

--

It was the end of the day, and most of the students in Hogwarts made their way to the Great Hall. There would be a ceremony for Professor Thomas, and then dinner. Michelle had cheered up a little, realizing she hardly knew her father. Lily, Hugo, and Gregory helped enlighten the mood as well. As they walked towards the hall, the four of them talked about their Charm**s****lesson with Professor Flitwick.**

**"****He's a pretty funny teacher." Michelle said, a**s **they walked towards the Gryffindor table. "He talks so…"**

**"Cute and squeaky?" Lily giggled. "I know what you mean, and he's so tiny! He says I remind him of my mother...and my grandmother…a mix of both of them." **

**"Oh." Michelle said, aware of the fact that Harry's mother, and Lily's grandmother, had died years ago. "I'm sure they're both…beautiful and kindhearted."**

**"Me too." Gregory **smirked, staring at Lily in a side-glance**. **

**Lily shot him a stern glance. Hugo shot him an even worse one.**

**"Umm…lets sit down, guys." Michelle said, beginning to sit down on the wooden bench. "The…the…ceremony…is going to begin soon."**

**Michelle was suddenly sullen, as she reminded herself of the ceremony of the father she met only twice. Her skin lost its pink blush, and it became sort of pale, like it did last night during the murder. Her eyes widened slowly, as the room silenced when Professor Jaquel stood up in front of everyone.**

**"May I have everyone's attention?" Professor Jaquel clapped her two hands together. Lily, Hugo, and Gregory **sat down next to Michelle. **Lily looked up at her, as did the other kids around her, and noticed that Profe**ssor Jaquel's** eyes were red, and her cheeks were rosy. She seemed sort of worn out.**

**"As we all know, Professor Thomas was the headmaster of this school for three years. Most of you got a chance to know him, while some of you hardly spoke to him, unlike the first years, which didn't at all." **

**"Not true." Michelle whispered, as she began to cry softly.**

**Profe**ss**or Jaquel gulped, and then blew her no**s**e in the ti**ss**ue **s**he wa**s** holding. "He was a kind and young man who put all of his effort into the education of the students here. He wanted what was best for him, his family, and all the young witches and wizards to come here and to leave into their future." **

**There were silent, quiet sobs that filled the room. Professor Jaquel gulped, and then said, "And now, we shall welcome our new headmaster."**

**There was a sudden quietne**ss**; even the sobs were distinguished. The front doors of the Grand Hall creaked open, and the entire hall turned to look at the source of the sound. **

**There was a man, with dark eyes, dark bags under them, a long nose, and narrow, thin lips that were slightly curved into a smile. His robes flew slightly behind him, as he marched forward, and held his hands into the air a**s if to welcome himself.** His footsteps were the only sounds that echoed throughout the Hall.**

**"No." Michelle whispered, staring at Lily with widened eyes. Lily gulped, and continued to stare at the man, who was halfway across the hallway. "It can't be." **

**"Welcome, Professor Estrang." Professor Jaquel gave a polite nod to him, and then sat down, as the man walked towards the platform. **

**"What is it?" Gregory asked Lily and Michelle, who both had their mouths open, and were pale. "Why are you guys so…scared?"**

**Lily just shook her head, and looked at Michelle, fear etched in every feature. "They don't know, Michelle! They don't know…if they knew…they would ****_never_****…"**

**"Don't know what, Lily?" Hugo asked, looking at Lily from Michelle, and backwards. "Lily, you're scaring me…?"**

**Michelle gulped, staring at their new headmaster who was now giving a speech of welcome. "Hello students! It is my honor," His voice was wispy and sharp. He scanned the room, starting from the Slytherin's side, and moving onto Ravenclaw. "To be here today, although the death of Professor Thomas is indeed a drast—"**

**Lily gulped. "No, no, no." she whispered, as she locked eyes with the new headmaster. He had completed his brief scan of the entire room, and was looking straight at her.**

**"He knows." Michelle bit her bottom lip. "Lily, come on! We have to warn someone!!"**

**"I'm sorry…drastic event." Professor Estrang finished his sentence, still glaring at Lily and Michelle. **

**"Can someone please explain what's going on here?" Hugo demanded from Lily and Michelle.**

**"You ****_guys!?_****" Gregory asked him impatiently.**

**"Can you please tell us?" Hugo inquired.**

**"Come ****_on?_**** Why are you guys so pale…and…scared?" Gregory asked.**

**"Yeah, Lily? Miche—"**

**Michelle finally turned to Hugo and Gregory, frightened. She locked eyes with Hugo, then moving on to Gregory's. "Its…he's…"**

**"He's the guy who killed Professor Thomas." Lily gulped, turning towards the two of them, pale. "And he knows we know that he is."**


	4. Chapter 4: Researching at the Library

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers out there! I really appreciate them! It helps me write better: please review for faster updates on chapters ;) Thank****s! -innocentangel56**

It was the next day, and school was about to begin

It was the next day, and school was about to begin. Lily rushed out of the library with three thick books in her arms, along with her Potions book, _Beginner Potion-Makers_, which she would most probably be using in her next class. She had discovered her Potion teacher to be none other than Professor Jaquel, as it stated on the schedule. Lily did not know if she was looking forward to this next period with Professor Jaquel or not, considering she didn't really like her at all.

"Lily!" said a voice behind Lily. Lily turned around, and saw Kendra jogging up to her. "Michelle's looking for you everywhere! Where've you been?"

"Oh, umm, library." Lily said, giving off a fake smile, which was true. The _real _story was that she had come to the library last night, looking for the evidence she needed. However, she had found it to be locked, and had crashed into Mr. Filch on her way back, who had told her to get to bed or he would report her to Professor Estrang. And nothing was worth that kind of punishment.

It was then Lily had rushed again today early this morning. She knew it was impossible to simply _dissolve_ into the Hogwarts walls. Her father had told her himself when she was seven years old, when Lily yearned for details on the castle. She recalled it perfectly; both daughter and father were sitting in the living room. He had told her about the ghosts, about the four houses, about how the spells were fascinating, and so on. However, when Lily asked him if any strangers could get in, (her worst fear at the time) he had said it was impossible because Hogwarts had special enchantments.

So what happened to these enchantments now? The man did not apparate, he had simply dissolved into the wall. She knew it was impossible, and she now had proof of it in her arms. Although there was no proof that he had _dissolved_... If only Kendra didn't look at the titles...

"Ok-aay." Kendra raised an eyebrow, and then laughed at Lily's look. "You okay? You look...sort of...worried."

"Just worried I won't get to class on time." Lily said which was absolutely true. The hallways weren't exactly full anymore; they were actually pretty empty. A few Hufflepuffs walked past them, as the two of them continued to walk.

"Lily, Lily, Lily." Kendra laughed, and then said, "Your brother told me how much you worry."

Lily looked at Kendra, and stopped herself just in time from rolling her eyes. That _twinkle_ in Kendra's eyes told the story. "He told you?"

"Well...no..." Kendra said shyly, biting her bottom lip, as the two of them picked up some speed. "I heard him talking to his friend..."

"Which one?" Lily asked Kendra.

"He had black hair, with bangs, and dark eyes--"

"Seth." Lily replied, irritated that James was telling stories of her to his friends. "Seth Ireweg."

"Well, yeah I heard them talking. How old is James?" Kendra looked at Lily from the corner of her eye.

"Fifteen." Lily said, sighing. Here came the questions about James. _What's it like having him as a brother? Is he annoying? What does he do? Does he like anyone? Blah blah blah._

Luckily, Lily was saved from giving Kendra the moment to ask her any of these questions. At that particular moment, Michelle arrived.

"Hey!" Michelle ran up to Lily, Hugo and Gregory tailing behind her. Her brown hair was piled up on top of her head in a bun, and her earrings were huge silver hearts. It suited her well.

"Where _were_ you?" Hugo asked, panting.

"We were looking everywhere for you!" Gregory added.

"Well, I was--" Lily said, glancing at Kendra, who was greeting Michelle. "Tell you later." she whispered to Gregory and Hugo.

"So!" Michelle said cheerfully. Lily, knowing her for only three days, did not know if this was a fake-cheerfulness, of if she really had had a sudden change of moods, although she highly doubted it. She concluded that Michelle must be an amazing and gifted actor.

The five of them walked towards the dungeon, finally arriving at the door. When they stepped inside the dull room, Lily looked around her. There were dusty, tan colored walls, with frames of different bubbling potions. The desks were arranged in columns, with spaced out rows, which Lily preferred better that the random-scattered seating arrangement.

"Come." Michelle said, as Kendra left their group and went over to hang out with Sophie, Olivia, and this other girl. Lily stared at the four others, and saw Olivia march away from the rest in fury. Lily smirked, but then allowed herself to be dragged by Michelle.

"You have a _lot_ of explaining to do." Gregory said, as the four of them sat in each of the columns, so they were next to each other. In the first column was Hugo, then Michelle, then Lily and last; Gregory.

"Shh." Lily whispered, worried that someone might hear them. "I will, loser." She smirked, and then looked forward to the front desk. Professor Jaquel had not arrived yet.

Lily felt a tap on her shoulder, and when she turned around, she saw Sabereth smirking down at her. "Potter, do you mind if I sit behind you?" he said in a sarcastic tone, as if testing her temper.

"Course not, Malfoy. Although I would prefer you admire me from afar." Lily flashed a fake smile, and turned back around, her lips curling into the smile that formed when her fellow Gryffindors laughed.

"Oh, I'm not here to admire." Sabereth whispered. "I'm here to annoy you during class."

"Well, I'll have to deal with it when the time comes." Lily said, turning only half-way around.

"Okay. I'm fine with that if you are." Sabereth laughed, and then whispered to his friends who were around his desk, now taking their seats in the same row. There were giggles that followed.

Just then, Professor Jaquel entered the room. "Silence!" she announced to the room, and it immediately became silent. "Please shut up for the entire lesson, and open your books to page 8!"

There was laughter. Lily simply smirked, but then stopped herself. She had to _think_ right now, not laugh. She desperately hoped that they would be asked to read; she had already read the entire book during the summer. Exactly; she was a bookworm. A proud one too.

"Read from pages 8 to 15, which is about safety procedures. Then, be prepared to answer any questions I shall ask you. After this, we will begin to discuss the topic potions itself."

_8 to 15. _That would be enough time to ponder at what she had read today at the library. She opened her Potions book like everyone else, and pretended to read. Her eyes were looking at the book, although her mind was blank.

_Okay. _she thought. _How did he dissolve into the walls if in the book _Hogwarts, A History, _it clearly states its impossible to enter or leave the grounds unless you're at the gates. _

But then again, Lily thought, he might have been using some new spell, right? James and Albus had always been talking about new spells that were now forming at the Ministry; as wizards from all over tried their best to improve wizarding magic in every way possible. However, although there were a lot more defense spells, there were more dangerous spells as well...

That was what she would have to research. She knew it was impossible to simply _leave _the castle, but that was when her father was at the school. This must be some new...invention or something. Each generation, as James had explained to her, had some new type of magic. And this generations' was most probably dissolving spells or so...

Just then, a sharp object hit her neck. Lily rubbed her neck, and turned around. She saw nothing.

Sabereth. It had to be him. But he was reading so innocently, Lily doubted it. She must have imagined it...

She turned back around, to her book, and this time, felt four sharp objects poking her shoulders and neck. She whipped around, and caught Sabereth tuck his wand in his robes just in time. She narrowed her eyes in fury, but then smirked. She snuck her wand from her own robes, and desperately thought of the spell James had always used on Albus...what was it again? Oh yes..."_Frindo._" she whispered, tapping her wand on her neck slightly, as she felt liquid drip in her neck. She grabbed her hair, which was let loose, and put it into a ponytail with her scrunchie. Perfect.

"What the..." Lily heard Sabereth say, as Lily shot her hand in the air. "You're snitching? What a pathetic—"

"Professor?" Lily called out in a squeaky, loud voice, to the silent classroom, since Professor Jaquel was busy in stacking the piles of papers on her desk into a neat pile.

"Yes?" She looked up in Lily's direction, her glasses sliding off her nose. "Anything wrong?"

"Yes." Lily said, and then gulped. She pretended to wipe a tear, and then sniffed. "My n-neck."

"What's wrong with it?" Professor Jaquel said, worried, as she walked up next to her and looked at it. She gasped, and then immediately looked at Sabereth. "How...?"

"I felt sharp objects at my neck..." Lily said, sniffing. She looked at Michelle, who looked worried, and gave a slight wink. Michelle's worried expression hardened, as she raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Degen?"

"I remember Sabereth said before class began that he was going to annoy Lily."

"Me too." Gregory and Hugo announced.

"What?!" Sabereth said, trying his best to play innocent, but even he could not deny this fact. "But..."

"Sabereth Malfoy, get up _immediately._" Professor Jaquel said, furious. "Report to Professor Estrang's office, _now._"

Sabereth got up, glared at Lily, and left the room.

Lily couldn't help but smirk, but stopped when Professor Jaquel caught her.

"Back to reading." Professor Jaquel said. "Lily Potter, you may go to Madam Pomfrey, who is in the hospital wing."

"Sure." Lily said, gulping, making sure to carry on the act. She gathered her books and her tote. As soon as she left the room, she took her wand out, and said the counter curse to the spell, "_Rindef_." The "blood" disappeared immediately. She, obviously, had no intention of going to the hospital wing. She did, however, have other plans for the next forty minutes that lay ahead. What a perfect plan; getting Sabereth in trouble, and proceeding in her research. Lily couldn't help but sneer at her cleverness one last time, before she set off in the direction to which she desired. She needed all the evidence she could find before she explained to the other teachers that Professor Estrang was the murderer. She had already tried once...but they had all said that she was "believing things." The only one person who believed in her was Professor Longbottom.

She made a sharp turn, as she ran the rest of the way to the library.

--

"Excuse me?" Lily said to the librarian, who was a young lady with blazing maroon hair, and purple highlights. "I need a book on the new Ministry spells? The record of the ones for the past year?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot give that to a first year." She said, as she chomped on bubblegum. She flashed a smile, and went on twirling her wand, and forming hearts in the air.

"Oh my gosh, how'd you do that?" Lily asked the lady. "That's going to be really useful in the future."

"My, my." She giggled. "Aren't you naughty!" She continued to form red hearts, pink hearts, purple hearts...

"Can I try?" Lily asked, pretending to be interested. Hopefully she could persuade her into helping her find a book on Ministry-Made Spells.

"Say, _Herti_" She said, as she whispered it herself.

"_Herti_." Lily said, her wand forming a heart on its own. Her heart was green. Of course, she did it on purpose. Stella always made these hearts...

"Eww." Lily said, "How do you make them colored?"

The lady was getting annoyed now. "Why do you care, kid?"

"Because, I need to do a report on new spells. And this one's the only choice I have because you're not letting me look at the books."

She looked at Lily suspiciously, and then waved her wand in the air. Five books came bulging straight at her.

"Thanks!" Lily said cheerfully, as she grabbed the books, and sat on the table behind the bookshelf.

She opened the first book, and then sighed. She looked down at the table of contents. Let's see...she might as well go through all of them. She would learn alot, _and _she would be researching.

She flipped to the first page. There was a list of playful pranks. She smirked as she read the first one. "_Qerify: a jinx that turns the victim rainbow for exactly a minute._"

How would Sabereth look rainbow? She almost laughed aloud, grabbing her notebook and quill, writing down the jinx.

She went down the row, and sighed. Wouldn't it be better to check these books out and do this with Michelle, Hugo, and Gregory? Yes, it would. She quickly skimmed through the first book, deciding this would be good to checkout, although definitely not what she was looking for. She went on to the second book, which was just the History of how the Ministry preformed the magic. Hmm...this _might _help...

The third book was useless, although the fourth was good. It might have _some_ curses, although definitely not dangerous ones, such as _dissolving_.

She would have to come back tonight, with Michelle as a distraction. She quickly checked the books out, avoiding the librarian's questions as to why she was not in class, and so on. When she finally left the room, she stuffed the books in her bag, and tucked her wand in her robes. The period was almost over, and she had Defense Against The Dark Arts next. She really couldn't wait...

As she made a right turn, she bumped into none other than Sabereth Malfoy. He was grinning, which surprised Lily. "Hey." He said in a mocking tone.

Lily narrowed her eyes, and said, "Why are you _happy?_"

"And why aren't _you_ in the nurse's office?" said a voice behind Lily. Lily froze, staring at Sabereth with widened eyes. Sabereth was laughing, looking behind Lily.

Lily didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. The voice had haunted her nightmares for the last two nights. And now it was so close to her...inches away...

"I..." Lily began, gulping.

"Explain how you knew that spell so well to perform it on your third day at Hogwarts?" The man proceeded in questioning Lily's back, as Sabereth giggled in front of Lily.

"I would like to see you in my office tonight after dinner. Just the both of us, what do you say, Potter?"

Lily turned around, realizing the fact that deep inside, she had known this had been coming. She had known that she would have to face her new headmaster sooner or later.


End file.
